Marine Conservation Talk
To raise public awareness and concern about the impact of microplastics and abandoned fishing gear on local marine ecology, OPCFHK visited a number of local primary and secondary schools, enterprises and community organisations to conduct marine conservation talks. The talk covered the local marine ecology and biodiversity, as well as the causes and impacts of microplastic pollution and abandoned fishing gear. At the same time, OPCFHK also encouraged participants to pay more attention to the conservation of local marine ecology and practice “waste reduction at source” in their daily lives.
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“Ghost net” Awareness Enhancement Workshop
OPCFHK successfully recruited 100 local recreational divers to participate in the “Ghost net” Awareness Enhancement Workshop. Through the indoor theory sessions, participants learned more about local marine ecology and biodiversity, recommended methods, safety guidelines and tool usage instructions for handling abandoned fishing gear in underwater environment.
After completing the theory sessions, participants were led by experienced divers in handling abandoned fishing gear in Hong Kong to conduct citizen science activities in person and practice handling, collecting, and disposing of abandoned fishing gear.
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Citizen Science Programmes
In addition to indoor theory sessions, OPCFHK has also organised community education activities for shore clean-ups and the removal of abandoned fishing gear in underwater environments, incorporating citizen science elements, including data collection on abandoned fishing gear, marine litter collected on shore and the microplastics experiments. OPCFHK raises public’s conservation awareness through hands-on, in-person activities, especially regarding the impact of abandoned fishing gear and microplastics. Through these combined efforts, we visited many remote shores and diving hotspots in Hong Kong in 2024, and successfully held 10 underwater operations and shore clean-ups, with a total collection of more than 2,000 kg of abandoned fishing gear and 500 kg of marine litter.
Citizen Science: Marine litter survey and underwater clean-up
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Citizen Science: Marine litter survey and coastal clean-up
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“Plastic-Free Cleaner Ocean” Visual Art Competition
To promote environmental education and community engagement in a more diverse way, OPCFHK is organising the “Plastic-Free Cleaner Ocean” Visual Art Competition. The competition is integrated with different types of visual art media. You are cordially invited to submit your creative designs to raise public awareness of local marine conservation and abandoned fishing gear.
The competition will be divided into three categories. The following table summarised the format, theme and requirements of each category.
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Group |
Format |
Theme |
Requirement |
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Primary School Group
(Primary 4 to Primary 6; either individual or in group)
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Installation art |
Through the “upcycling” approach, we transform waste into artwork, giving new life to discarded materials and encouraging the public to value marine resources.
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Using various waste items (i.e. recycled materials such as plastic bottles, bottle caps, and fruit bags) to create an artwork, demonstrating how reducing waste at the source can revitalise marine ecosystems.
Submissions must include the artwork’s title and a description of no more than 150 words (in Chinese), explaining how the artwork conveys the concept of marine conservation.
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Secondary School Group
(Form 1 to Form 6) |
Poster design |
Combine educational messages with artistic expression to raise students’ awareness of waste reduction at source and marine ecosystem conservation, convey the severity of the marine litter issue, and urge the public to monitor their lifestyle habits to reduce waste at source.
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Hand in an A2-sized poster design with a Chinese slogan of no more than 10 characters, illustrating how marine litter harms marine life and driving actions to reduce single-use items, encouraging the public to change lifestyle habits at source.
The submission must include the artwork’s title and a concept statement of no more than 150 words (in Chinese), explaining how the design raises public awareness of marine ecosystem issues.
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Open Group
(Aged 18 or above, not studying in any primary and secondary schools) |
Photography |
Capture the real stories of marine litter on marine life through the lens, raising public awareness of threats to marine ecosystems and encouraging waste reduction at source to protect the marine environment.
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Submit an original photo capturing the ecological impact of marine debris (e.g., a crab entangled in abandoned fishing nets or a fish that has ingested plastic waste) to highlight the importance of source reduction in protecting the marine ecosystem.
The submission must include the date and location, and a description of no more than 150 Chinese characters, explaining the theme and how it conveys the concept of marine conservation.
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Submission period
From now until 31st August 2025, 23:59
Enrolment
Please complete the online enrolment form before the deadline of submission and follow the instruction to submit your creation or the photos of your work. Please ensure that the personal information is correct, including Chinese and English name, contact and email address, etc. All submitted files and enrolment form cannot be changed or resubmitted. Late submissions or those not meeting the formats and requirements will be disqualified without further notice.
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Primary School Group |
Secondary School Group Online Enrolment form |
Open Group |
Scoring Criteria
- Creativity and technique
- Expression and message
- Overall visualisation
Result and announcement
Participants must retain their artwork until the competition results are announced. All submitted artworks will undergo two rounds of judging. Shortlisted entries for the second round will receive email notifications. Shortlisted participants in the Primary and Secondary School Group must submit the original artwork to the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong, in person for final judging while the raw file of the photo is required for the shortlisted Open Group. Failing to submit before the deadline will result in disqualification. Results will be announced via email in mid-October. Submitted artworks may not be returned; participants are recommended to keep a copy before submission.
Award
Each group includes a winner, runner-up, third place and three merit awards. All will be notified via email, with prizes to be announced later. The organiser reserves the right to request identification documents for verification purposes. All winning artworks (winner, runner-up, third place, and merit awards from the three categories) will be displayed at an exhibition held in mid-November for one week. An award ceremony will take place during the exhibition period.
Terms and conditions
Please refer to the link for the detailed terms and conditions.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1499UW7CvduH4nuzawMWqrzrWBtzJemvI?usp=drive_link
Enquiries
Should you have any questions, please contact
Eric Tang：eric.lm.tang@oceanpark.com.hk ;or
Kayson Lo：kayson.cm.lo@oceanpark.com.hk
Disclaimer
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material/event do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Environment and Conservation Fund and Environmental Campaign Committee
Closing Ceremony cum Themed Exhibition
The project will organise a themed exhibition in November 2025, focusing on marine conservation and abandoned fishing gear, to introduce the project and showcase its outcomes to the public. During the exhibition, scientific sharing will be conducted by local experts, and outstanding creations from the visual art competition will be exhibited.
For more details, please follow OPCFHK’s Facebook and Instagram.
Enquiry
If you have any enquiries about the above project and activities, please contact our staff through the following method.
Mr. Kayson Lo｜Email: kayson.cm.lo@oceanpark.com.hk
Funded by
Supported by
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